The invention relates to a contact disc for conducting plates called busbars, comprising a contact surface projecting slightly upwards with respect to the surface of the conducting plates which has in its center a hole for the passage of a contact pin.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention finds application wherever it is necessary to form connections within electrical distribution systems using busbar conducting plates which are destined to come into contact with and to fix electronic power components to the said conducting plates. A particular, but non-limiting, field of application is, accordingly, that of electrical connections destined for transmitting high currents within a busbar system.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
In the case of connections of this type, holes are cut which are destined to receive contact pins of electronic components in certain areas in the conducting plate. In the vicinity of the holes are moreover provided radial slots destined to facilitate, when the projection is formed, a deformation of the material of the conductor (generally copper) and to avoid cracks of the material of the conductor as well as excessively large variations of thickness of the material caused by stretching.
Another advantage of the radial slots resides in the fact that because of their presence, a certain elasticity of contact is achieved during the assembly of the contact pin.
A plurality of contact discs is provided on such electronic distribution systems, in order to implement galvanic connections of the electronic components to existing conductors. When the contact pins are fixed on the conducting plate, it is possible to encounter small differences of level of the contact pins with respect to the surface of the conductor. In order to compensate for these slight differences of level, the surface of the conductor is dished, in order to achieve good mechanical contact between the contact disc and the contact pin. This, however, involves a significant reduction of the contact surface at its connection with the contact pin, which generally speaking results in a higher contact resistance at the said connection. In the presence of a higher contact resistance, losses increase and announce their presence, particularly during the transmission of high intensity currents, by the fact that the contact material strongly heats up which, in turn, leads to a premature ageing of the electronic components.
This purpose is achieved according to the invention owing to the presence of a contact disc for the conducting plate of busbars which has a contact surface projecting slightly upwards and inwards with respect to the planar surface of the conducting plate, substantially parallel to and a distance above the level of the planar surface of the conducting plate and which has in its center a hole for the contact pin to pass through, whereby remarkably, the contact surface is integral with the conducting plate and where slots in the shape of segments are arranged in such a way as to make possible a deformation of the contact disc without stretching of the material from which it is made when the projection is being formed.
In a preferred embodiment, the slots in the shape of segments are uniformly distributed in order to deform on at least two concentric circles.
According to a second embodiment, the slots in the shape of segments are arranged on the contact disc in the form of a star.
According to a variant of the second embodiment, the slots in the shape of segments arranged in the form of a star have an S-shaped cross-section.
The contact disc according to the invention is formed from the conducting plate by die stamping or embossing, or any other similar operation. The extension of the material of the conductor which normally takes place during this operation is reduced to a minimum, thanks to the arrangement of the slots in the shape of segments on at least two concentric circles since these slots widen during the deformation of the contact surface. If, in order to compensate for a difference in level, a very deep contact disc is required, the slots in the shape of segments open further. The deformation of the material of the conductor takes place essentially in the zone between the contact surface and the surface of the conducting plate. In this way, the material of the conductor which surrounds the slots remains essentially intact and the contact surface also remains essentially intact even with deeper contact discs, since the deformation of the material takes place mainly in the zone between the contact surface and the surface of the conducting plate in such a way that even with deeper contact discs and deeper embossing, it is possible for higher currents to pass with smaller losses than was previously the case.
On the other hand, the purpose according to the invention can also be achieved by means of a contact disc of the aforementioned type in which the slots in the shape of segments are arranged in the form of a star. With the said star arrangement of the segment-shaped slots, the contact disc can also be formed from the contact surface by die stamping, embossing or a similar process without the material used to form the contact surface being liable to large variations of thickness. In this case a contact disc is obtained which according to the embodiment of the invention, possesses a large contact surface which protects the electronic components which are connected thereto from deteriorating with the passage of a period of time.
Moreover, the variant with segment-shaped slots arranged in the form of a star and an S-shaped cross-section, makes possible a significant increase in flexibility of the connection along all axes.
In one embodiment of the invention, the segment-shaped slots arranged on concentric circles are located between the contact surface and the conducting plate. Preferably, the slots arranged on the contact disc are laid out symmetrically with respect to an axis perpendicular to the contact surface which passes through the center of the hole through which passes a contact pin. With such a symmetrical configuration in rotation, the process of production of the contact disc can appreciably be simplified, since it is not necessary to observe any preferential orientation.
Accordingly, the hole in the centre of the contact disc makes possible the passage of a contact pin which, when it is placed on the contact disc, is able to pass through the conducting plate. Elasticity facilitates the fixing of the contact pin on the conducting plate, the contact pin which is threaded being then fixed on the lower face of the conducting plate with the help of a nut. Other advantages of the invention will be explained in greater detail with the help of appended drawings.